We’ve all been there: waiting to hear if you got the job (or not). These moments may rank as some of the longest you can remember. Will you be penning your resignation, or did you lose out to another candidate?

Instead of: Waiting anxiously for the call to come in…

Try: Putting this time (and your nervous energy) to good use.

1. Take stock of the situation. When exactly are you supposed to hear from the recruiter or HR contact? Do you have a timeline? Sometimes you don’t get a firm date by when you can expect to hear about an offer. This means days and weeks can go by with no word. Does that mean you didn’t get the job, but the recruiter didn’t close the loop (ghosting, it happens!)? Or is there an unexpected delay on their end? All this time you spend worrying, you may be missing out on other employment opportunities.

If you don’t have a clear timeframe, call or email your point of contact and ask: When will I know when you have made a decision? By taking charge you will feel more in control, and be better able to plan your next move if it doesn’t work out.

2. Evaluate other opportunities. While it’s a good rule of thumb to not put all your eggs in one job-hunting basket, it’s very easy to forget this (or throw it out altogether) when a job offer seems imminent. While you wait, take some time to keep the career momentum going.

Schedule concurrent interviews, explore a potential opportunity or company that interests you, or reach out to someone in your network for a long-overdue coffee date. This will remind you that you are an ideal candidate for many employment opportunities – not just one – and that many employers (plural!) would be lucky to have you.

3. Work on your personal branding. You are in charge of the perception you want others to have of you, and developing that perception requires consistent attention. Now is one of the BEST times to tend to your personal branding. You have worked on your resume, polished your answers to interview questions, and probably put some work into your LinkedIn profile. So why stop now that (maybe) your job hunt is coming to an end?

Evaluate your marketing tools and how they tell your career story. Make sure your skills, strengths, and recent accomplishments are on full display. Chances are you have learned (a lot) about who you are, or at least something new, when job hunting. Put that newfound knowledge into your personal branding tools now, while it’s fresh.

While waiting to hear about an offer can be the hardest part of job hunting, there are so many things you can do to use this time wisely. Take charge of this phase of your career, like you would any other. You may not only feel better, but actually come to enjoy the wait. Good luck!

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©2020 Traverse Career Solutions | Ellen Dunagan